Porous dental appliances can absorb the ingredients in denture cleaning tablets – meaning you're holding those chemicals against your mouth when you wear the device.
A: I used to recommend denture cleaning tablets, such as Efferdent and Polident, for cleaning Invisalign aligners, dentures, and retainers, and even used to use it myself.
These denture cleaning tablets work very well at cleaning but I’ve recently changed my opinion of these products.
The active ingredient pursulfate is my major concern. The FDA has asked the manufacturers of Fixodent, Polident, Efferdent, and other denture cleaners to change the product labeling to include warnings about the risks of allergic reactions which could be caused by persulfates. The FDA also asked the manufacturers to consider alternate ingredients to replace persulfate.
Symptoms of allergic reactions to persulfates used in denture and retainer cleansers include…
- Tissue Damage
- Rashes, Hives or Irritation
- Gum Tenderness
- Breathing Problems
- Low Blood Pressure
If accidentally ingested, these denture cleansers can wreak havoc on the body.
Picture this scenario: An elderly person wakes up late at night with an upset stomach and confuses an Efferdent package with an Alka Seltzer package, rips it open and dissolves it into a full glass of drinking water. He wakes up in the emergency room hours later convulsing and gasping for air.
Accidental consumption of denture and retainer cleansers can include…
- Abdominal Pain
- Burns
- Bleaching of tissue
- Blood in the Urine
- Internal Bleeding
- Vomiting
- Breathing Problems
- Low Blood Pressure
- Seizures
- Death
Bottom line: If you drank the stuff, it could send you to the Emergency Room. So why let your dental appliance, something that sits in your mouth for 8 hours a day or more, marinate in it?
Many of these devices are porous and can hold the persulfate against the tissues inside the mouth. Even if used as directed, I don’t think it’s wise to use these products to clean dentures, sleep apnea devices, retainers, Invisalign aligners, or anything else placed in the mouth.
How to Clean Your Night Guard Naturally
To clean your night guard (or other dental device), keep it soaking in water when it is not in your mouth. Add a squirt or two of castile soap, which doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. You can also lightly brush it with an electric toothbrush and toothpaste as needed.
Dr. Mark Burhenne DDS
My name is 
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What about using Alka Seltzer or generic to clean nightguards?
I do not recommend alka seltzer to clean your dental appliances. Alka seltzer contains sodium bicarbonate and citric acid, which are both okay in appropriate concentrations – the problem is the aspirin.
Many people are allergic to aspirin. It has pharmacological action. It can reduce inflammation or thin your blood. People can get aspirin burns in their mouth. It is a drug with effects that you may or may not need – why expose yourself to it on a daily basis and just to clean your nightguards? Even though very little may be absorbed, it is unnecessary exposure on a daily basis.
Use a squirt of castile soap and baking soda in water to soak your nightguards – it will do the best job of cleaning and the alkalinity in the baking soda will help protect against gum disease and bad breath.
Mark Burhenne DDS
I have had a horrible rash break out on my fingers that the doctors say is allergic but nothing helps..I seen something about effervescent denture cleaner causing rashes on something..then googled. Now that I’m piecing thing’s the rash started right after I got my teeth pulled and got dentures. I dont have a reation in my mouth but little sores on the ends of my fingers and hands. It was better for awhile when I used half of a generic efferdent cleaner but I got name brand overnight soak and I got blisters on my hands
Okay then. So what do I use to clean my dentures. I use to smoke, now a non smoker of 5 months. I would like to get my dentures white again. I have always used efferdent. I use it every other night.
I use baking soda to clean my night guard and spray it with peroxide. It seems to work for me.
How about vinegar and water. does’nt this kill germs.
How about vinegar and water. does’nt this kill germs.
My dentist said to use dish washing liquid. That’s what I do. I used the tablets a few times…and my gums were terribly irritated, even though I rinsed the dentures quite thoroughly.
BTW…I still see adhesives on the shelves that contain zinc. That’s been shown to cause neurological damage. Get only ones that clearly say ZINC FREE. They’ll get us one way or the other….
Try Dr. Bronners. I have used it for just about everything from cleaning my body and hair to dishes to floors to laundry and it has many many many many other uses. It is really good pure castile soap made from simple ingredients many of them you might consume in other forms. No artificial chemicals or odd ingredients. Plus many of the ingredients are fair trade, none of them are tested on animals or made of animals and much of it is organic as well. Plus due to Emmanuel Bronner being a bit of nut, you can read parts of his religious manifesto on the side of the bottle.
I have no doubt that this could clean dentures or night guards or what have you.Dr. Bronner’s even recommends is is a toothpaste or mouthwash, though I tried it once and didn’t find it quite so good.
Hi..my Mother just got dentures October 26 of 2011…I am very interested in your research. Especially the chocolate thing for me. She is not happy with her new teeth and I would like to hear what other information you have on these subjects. I’m really scared about my teeth since a few of them are getting small gaps at the gum line. No insurance either. Suggestions? Yours truley, Tina
My dentisturist said if people would use baking soda to brush teeth with gum problems it would stop the disease.
Tina, gaps in your teeth next to the gumming can be sign of gum disease which if left untreated can not only cause you to lose teeth, but has systemic links as well. Go to a dentist, and get your exam and gum therapy routinely.
Mark Burhenne- I can’t find any proof of your credentials.
There is no real proof that you have the credentials that you document you have.
Please prove it.
All you have to do is google Mark Burhenne DDS and there is plenty of proof. His office phone number and location in Sunnydale, CA is clearly found if you search with google so enough with the prove it crap and grow a brain.
Also, this
“To clean your night guard (or other dental device), keep it soaking in water when it is not in your mouth and lightly brush it with an electric toothbrush and toothpaste as needed. ” is wrong
If he’s including dentures in this, which I’m assuming he is by “other dental device” he’s severely wrong. My dentist and just about anyone I know with dentures will tell you DO NOT brush your dentures with toothpaste. It’s abrasive and will cause damage to your denture….and the electric toothbrush ?? Really?? Most just say a soft bristled tooth brush?
can effergrip cause false reading when breathalized for alcohol?
I just stumbled upon this page. I use efferdent to clean my juicer. The carrot juice really stains the juicer. I’m concerned how clean it gets, not just the stain, but bacteria. No soap gets is really clean. So I tried soaking it in efferdent overnight, then rinsing it in the morning with super hot water and then final rinse with cold water.
Do you think that efferdent would be safe for this purpose?
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